Kiersten Neumann, PhD, Curator, Research Associate and Communications Associate from the rule of Cyrus the Great to the fall of the Achaemenid Persian Empire (550–330 BCE), the kings constructed a visual landscape that through its art and architecture broadcast an idealized message of harmonious order, power, and unity. The dynastic center of Persepolis stands as a pinnacle of this visual legacy, founded by Darius the great around 520 BCE and sacked by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE.

While known throughout history, the ruins of Persepolis were not excavated until the Oriental Institute sponsored an archaeological expedition to the site in present-date Iran, which lasted from 1931 to 1939. As a result of this project, the Oriental Institute now houses a collection of artifacts and archival photographs that stands as one of the best resources on Achaemenid art and architecture in the world.

Join Kiersten to learn about the Oriental Institute’s exploration of this magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dr. Kiersten Neumann is an historian of Near Eastern art and archaeology. Her research is grounded in theoretical approaches to ancient art, with a focus on sensory experience and visual culture of the first millennium. She is currently working on a book manuscript that explores how embodied sensory experience acted as a primary contributor to processes of ritualization in the Neo-Assyrian temple.

Kiersten received her BA and her MA from the University of British Columbia, and her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. She is the Curator, Research Associate, and Communications Associate at the Oriental Institute and Curator of the special exhibition Persepolis: Images of an Empire (2015–2017).